Joy Oladokun: Becoming The Voice of The People

Welcome to Into The Mix, a Ben & Jerry’s podcast about joy and justice.  This season, we’re swirling up inspiring stories from progressive heroes. People who didn’t set out to be activists, but found themselves stepping up for something bigger than themselves.  For a music artist, you'd think a record label cutting your album budget by 90% would end your music career. For Joy Oladokun, it's what catapulted hers: self-produced, uncompromising, and part of the soundtrack of protest. Joy Oladokun became a songwriter to help other artists survive. She ended up becoming the artist she'd been trying to save. When her label cut her advance by nearly 90%, she made the record anyway, self-produced, uncompromising, and built for the people who needed it most. A singer-songwriter and producer working at the intersection of Americana, soul, and Afrofuturism, Joy's music is confessional, politically grounded, and built for the person on the bus, on the way to a protest, carrying more than anyone can see. Her new album, Hope Is a Heavy Thing, is out now.  Ashley C. Ford sits down with Joy on Into the Mix, a Ben & Jerry's podcast about joy and justice to discuss the importance of speaking up even when it’s costly. Follow Joy here! Music provided by Shearaton Carter: Slow Season, Epidemic Sound. Custom Music by: Rondell Patterson.